1. Field of the Invention
A container lid with integral scoop, and an open-mouthed container, the lid fitting onto the container mouth with the scoop inside the container. The lid with integral scoop is especially intended for usage in removal of dog droppings, i.e. dog feces, from the urban environment by manual manipulation of the lid to scoop up the dog feces, after which the lid is fitted over the open mouth of a used standard steel can such as a used and empty soup, vegetable or dog food can, with the scoop and dog feces inside the can, after which the can containing the removed dog feces may be suitably discarded.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem of dog feces deposited on sidewalks, walkways, in parks, etc., is ubiquitous, especially in urban areas. Although most cities and municipalities have adopted ordinances requiring the dog owner to curb his dog, this law is seldom observed in many areas and enforcement of the law is difficult since law enforcement officers are, in many instances, devoting their time to more serious crimes. Thus, deposited dog feces is prevalent in many urban areas. Besides being unsightly and unsanitary, typically soiling the shoes of unwary pedestrians, deposited dog feces is a serious health hazard to small children who often play with and even ingest the dog feces due to natural instinct and curiosity, thinking that it is food. This can lead to serious illness in the child such as worms or digestive upsets.
In addition, it is well known that flies, such as the common housefly, the blue-tailed fly and the horsefly, exhibit a natural predilection, a certain propensity and an unfortunate proclivity to swarm about, light on, and crawl over deposited dog feces. Flies are naturally attracted and drawn to deposited dog feces for several reasons, inter alia, the natural biological urge to deposit eggs which mature into maggots on the dog feces.
In any event, flies also endeavor to gain access to the premises of humans, wherein they proceed to land on and crawl over food, personal possessions and property such as kitchen utensils, and even to crawl on and bite human beings, especially small children, toddlers and infants. Thus, the flies tend to communicate and spread disease, and to soil the interior of dwellings, by the transmission of bacteria from the dog droppings into the presence of humans in houses and apartments, principally because the legs of flies terminate with porous and moist feet, to which dog feces naturally tends to cling. The present container and container lid clearly functions to preclude such unhealthy and unsanitary spread of dog feces and disease into the lives of humans, by eliminating the deposited dog feces from sidewalks, curbs, streets, parks, etc. in urban areas and suburban areas.
Other instances where a small, portable manual scoop is usable include diverse occupations such as park department employees, e.g. persons assigned to removal of leaves and small twigs from the ground, factory workers, homeowners, military personnel assigned to policing an area such as in the vicinity of the barracks, etc. In general, the present container and container lid provides a cheap and disposable means for the collection of refuse such as machine shop waste, e.g. nuts and bolts, glue, sawdust, waste such as suet generated during the slaughtering and/or butchering of animals, vegetable waste in canneries and packing plants, dog feces, household kitchen cleanup, engine grease, and so forth, or for the inexpensive storage of diverse collected materials.
With specific regard to dog drop scoops per se, a body of prior art has been developed in recent years because of the need for an inexpensive, workable device to accomplish the elimination of dog droppings, i.e. dog feces, from the urban environment, and also in response to the more stringent laws relative to pollution which have been enacted in recent years. The urging of environmentalists in this regard is well known, and there is a continuing debate between such groups and those who have dogs as pets or for security reasons, i.e. as protection against intrusion in the dwelling by criminals intent on burglary, robbery or even rape or murder. This is especially true in certain urban areas, where the vast majority of perceptive people keep one or more guard dogs in their dwellings.
Among the many prior art patents relating to the highly developed art of dog drop scoops which may be mentioned are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,263; 3,733,098; 3,786,780; 3,819,220; 3,841,686; 3,912,316; 4,010,970 and 4,014,584.
Another prior art approach to the problem of dog feces entails the provision of a harness or framework including a plastic bag, which is mounted over the anal region of a small animal, such as a dog, so that when the animal has a bowel movement and defecates, the feces is caught in the bag which is disposable. Prior art relative to this approach to the solution of the problem of dog feces includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,656,459; 3,786,787; 3,792,687; 3,817,217 and 3,875,903.
With regard to containers and container lids, prior art configurations include those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,726,447; 3,894,650; 3,905,502; 3,910,444 and 3,913,774.